Manitoba’s future leaders

Animal rescue groups shaken by advocate’s death

A week after an animal rescue volunteer died doing what she loved at Sandy Bay First Nation, the charity she dedicated herself to has paused rescues as groups rally to prevent another mauling.

Winnipeg’s Amanda Nobiss, 37, was found dead July 17 after police were contacted by a friend trying to locate her. She often visited the community 180 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg to save animals.

Several “aggressive dogs” were found near where Nobiss’s body was located, Manitoba First Nation Police Service has said. It did not respond Friday when asked for an update on its investigation into her death.

“What happened is the most tragic, heartbreaking thing that could have possibly happened,” said Chelsea Kork, president of K9 Advocacy Manitoba, the charity Nobiss volunteered with.

Firefighter accused of violating protection order jailed for past harassment

A Winnipeg firefighter accused of violating a protection order this week has been jailed two times in the past decade for criminally harassing two different women, court records show.

In each case, Christopher Goethals was allowed to return to his job with the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service.

Goethals, 59, was arrested July 21 after breaching a protection order requiring he not come within 200 metres of a named protected person, police said.

Police allege Goethals was in full uniform and on “modified duties” driving a WFPS fleet vehicle at the time of the offence.

Selfie part of investigation into Grant Park football coach

A selfie of a high school football coach grinning beside a Free Press front-page story about the investigation into his professional conduct has become part of the case.

Doug Kovacs, a resource teacher at Grant Park High School who runs the Pirates football program, was put on leave in the spring.

The Winnipeg School Division employee is the subject of an investigation into allegations that athletes on his AAAA varsity team engaged in hazing that led to at least one player getting injured last year.

The Free Press has learned that on July 8 — the day it was revealed in print that Manitoba’s teacher commissioner had launched a third-party probe — a photo of Kovacs posing with a newspaper began circulating in the football community.

Brown bombs as Bombers blasted

Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Dru Brown took Friday night's ‘Christmas in July’ theme a little too seriously.

He wasn't carrying around a red sack, but he did gift-wrap four interceptions to the Calgary Stampeders in what ended up being a 52-30 loss for the Blue and Gold in front of a sold-out crowd.

The result dropped the Bombers, now 1-3 at home this season, to 4-3. Calgary improved to 3-4 and now have a chance to win the tiebreaker when the two sides meet for a final time on Oct. 10 at Princess Auto Stadium.

“Yeah, not nearly good enough...You certainly don't want to go get into a track meet against a good offence like that,” said Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea.

Trailblazer returns to share success, inspire next generation

Starstruck kids and fans zigzagged throughout the rink, anxiously waiting to get an autograph from Kati Tabin and to see their role model on the same side of the glass.

Tabin, Montreal Victoire defender and Team Canada silver medallist, on Saturday came home to the rink where it all began, the Oakbank Community Club. She brought the PWHL championship trophy, the Walter Cup, from her inaugural pro season, as well as her 2026 Milan Cortina Olympic silver medal.

The arena was packed to the brim with fans from all over coming to see Tabin — the local player who made history in women’s hockey. Hundreds of enthusiasts of all ages lined up with their Victoire or Team Canada merchandise, some waiting over two hours to see their idol.

Eight-year-old Loxley Cierzan came with her mother, Ainsley, and other family members to meet the one and only Tabin. Cierzan has loved seeing other girls grace the ice and play the competitive sport she adores. When the PWHL takeover stopped in Winnipeg in March, she not only got to watch the game but also a practice beforehand where Tabin signed her Victoire hat.

Decrease in crime an inconvenient truth for Poilievre

Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives have apparently decided that facts are an obstacle to their crime narrative.